Dear Association Presidents, FEZANA liaisons, and friends:
I am truly humbled and awed by the trust you have placed in me by electing me as the next FEZANA President. I sincerely thank you for your support. I will do my utmost to live up to your expectations.
While in Atlanta, my wife Yasmin and I visited the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site on Auburn Avenue, where until recently, generations of middle-class and well-to-do blacks had lived, prospered and died in segregated isolation. It reminded me of how our fellow-Zarathushtis had to endure discrimination in Gabr Mohallas in Iran. What sustained them through those difficult times was their unwavering faith in the goodness of Ahura Mazda.
I commend and thank the outgoing FEZANA President Firdosh Mehta for an extremely well-conducted and productive annual meeting. The Atlanta Zarathushti Association (AZA), one of FEZANA’s newest Members, hosted the meeting at a Zarathushti-owned hotel, with flawlessly organized lunches, dinners and a Jashan. AZA is growing – there have been six babies born during the past six months. All the members cheerfully helped with all the activities. As a bonus on the last day of the meeting, the Atlanta Chapter of the World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce (WZCC) held a very informative half-day seminar on small business development, chaired by Erv. Rustom Kanga.
As in Atlanta, the Zarathushti Community is growing and prospering all over North America. The time has come for us now to collectively address two questions: “Where do we want to go?” and “How do we want to go there?” Our long-term vision is clear – we want our religion to be recognized as a major world religion that has contributed significantly to the development of modern ethics, justice and morality. We can accomplish this vision only if we work together along a path that we all agree on.
My own thoughts on how we can embark on this path are outlined in my three-point platform that I can send you if you haven’t already seen it on the FEZANA website. I invite you now to send me your written thoughts on what is most important to you, and how we should proceed to ensure success. Please pass on this message to all your members and urge them also to respond directly to me at RJKevala@aol.com.
Yasmin joins me in thanking all of you for your vote of confidence and we ask for your continued support and blessings.
Ushta te
Rustom Kevala
RJKevala@aol.com
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